Which Way of Ketogenic Eating is Best?
It depends on who you ask. Some people argue that a keto diet with plenty of veggies and nuts is the “clean” or “right” way to do keto, while others advocate for a more animal-based approach. Terms like “Dirty Keto” and “Clean Keto,” or even “healthy” and “unhealthy” keto, are often used, sometimes even by medical professionals. So, which ketogenic diet is actually the healthiest?
What is the Keto Diet?
The ketogenic (keto) diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet designed to put the body into ketosis, where it shifts from using glucose (carbohydrates) as its primary energy source to burning fats. This process produces ketones, which can promote fat loss and other health benefits. The keto diet is widely used for weight loss but has also been shown to help manage certain health conditions like epilepsy, type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders.
My Diet Journey
When I first heard about keto in 2017, I was skeptical. I couldn’t understand how people could lose weight eating fat, cream, butter, and cheese—yet they did. I initially thought it couldn’t be healthy long-term for heart health or cholesterol levels. But I was intrigued by the women with Lipedema who were losing weight on keto, while I continued to struggle.
At that time, I was eating a plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free diet. My carbs were limited to foods like berries, rice, gluten-free toast, and sweet potatoes. My diet included plenty of greens and vegetables, along with lean proteins like chicken breast, salmon, and occasionally a few times a year, lamb or beef. Despite following what most would consider a balanced, healthy diet, I was still dealing with chronic fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, persistent pain – tons of inflammation. My doctor could find nothing wrong in my bloodwork and had no further recommendations since I was already eating “right.” I was frustrated and felt I was doing everything right.
After learning that nightshades (like tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes) were a significant source of my fatigue and pain, I cut them out and felt some relief. This experience was eye-opening—foods I thought were good for me were actually making me sick.
Transition to Keto
In 2018, I decided to try a keto diet and bought The Keto Diet Cookbook by Leanne Vogel. It looked like a healthier, dairy-free approach, featuring lots of vegetables like cauliflower rice and greens. I assumed that a dairy-heavy keto was “Dirty Keto” and the veggie-nut-heavy version was “Clean Keto”—a common misconception (which I later discovered was wrong).
While the book taught me a lot about the different versions of keto and even addressed plant toxins like nightshade alkaloids and phytic acid, it missed a key toxin: oxalate. The book promoted high-oxalate foods like dark chocolate, spinach, and almonds, while skipping dairy products.
With daily exercise, I lost my baby weight. I then maintained a low-carb diet. However, after two miscarriages, I quickly gained 20 pounds, without altering my diet. I couldn’t understand why my symptoms worsened despite my efforts—headaches, muscle stiffness, and food sensitivities multiplied.
Eventually, I realized that while I had been following what I thought was a healthy keto plan, I had unknowingly been consuming high levels of oxalates.
What is Oxalate?
Oxalic acid is found in all plant foods. They serve as a natural defense for plants but can accumulate in human tissue, especially in people who have difficulty detoxifying them. For some, oxalates cause kidney stones; for others, they lead to chronic pain, autoimmunity, fibrosis, and neurological issues.
I had been consuming massive amounts of oxalates through foods like spinach, almonds, and dark chocolate—all considered “superfoods.” Going Keto and adding more spinach and almond flour to my diet only increased my oxalate load, worsening my symptoms over time.
Isn’t Eating More Vegetables Better?
While we’ve been told all our lives that fruits and vegetables are essential for nutrients and fiber, many plants also contain toxins like oxalates, lectins, and phytic acid. These compounds can inhibit nutrient absorption, cause inflammation, and even trigger autoimmune responses.
For instance, just one pound of spinach contains nearly 3,500 mg of oxalate, a couple handfuls a day—far exceeding the recommended daily limit of 100 mg. When you add foods like almonds or chia seeds to the mix, you can easily surpass 1,000 mg a day without realizing it.
Understanding Oxalate Dumping
Reducing oxalate in the diet—or switching to a Carnivore diet—can come with its own challenges. When we cut oxalates out, the body often begins to release stored oxalates, leading to what’s known as “oxalate dumping.” This process can increase inflammation and pain as oxalates are purged from tissues, sometimes causing symptoms similar to those experienced when consuming high-oxalate foods. Some people find that maintaining a small amount of oxalate in their diet can help slow down the dumping process and make it more manageable.
At the time of writing, I’ve been following a Carnivore diet for 22 months and still experience occasional oxalate dumps. Sometimes it’s painful, and sometimes it’s not, but overall, my health continues to improve. This process can be a challenging but natural part of healing, and each individual’s experience may vary.
Dairy, Saturated Fats, and the Misunderstanding of Cholesterol
For years, dairy has been demonized as inflammatory, but often, it’s the additives in processed dairy products that cause issues. When I switched to full-fat dairy from grassfed cows, without additives (and after healing my gut from nightshades and gluten), my digestive issues resolved. The lactose intolerance that I was diagnosed with in 2006, no longer existed.
Saturated fats, long blamed for heart disease, are not the villains they’ve been made out to be. The rise of seed oils like Crisco and the flawed research of Ancel Keys created a narrative that demonized animal fats. However, modern studies are debunking this. In fact, a recent 2024 study found no link between high LDL-C cholesterol and heart disease in healthy individuals. The real culprits may be inflammation from processed foods, particularly those containing seed oils.
Processed Keto Foods
With the rise in keto’s popularity, many food manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, creating “low-carb” versions of snacks and treats that aren’t truly keto. These processed foods often contain hidden starches and sugars, preventing you from entering ketosis. This is often referred to as Dirty Keto but is simply another form of processed, unhealthy eating.
Conclusion
For years, I thought eating lean protein and a rainbow of vegetables would heal me. When it didn’t, I tried plant-heavy keto, which ultimately worsened my health. It wasn’t until I tried the Carnivore Diet—a diet I once feared—that I truly healed. Cutting out plant foods and focusing on animal products like beef, bacon, butter, eggs, and salmon helped me lose 31 pounds, drop several sizes, and, most importantly, regain my health and mobility. My chronic pain faded, my sleep improved, and my brain fog lifted.
The Carnivore Diet gave me my life back. While ketogenic diets vary, the key is listening to your body and finding what works for you, but also know what oxalate dumping is. If you’re dealing with inflammation, you might be eating foods that aren’t as healthy for you as you think. For me, that meant embracing a high-fat, low-to-no-plant version of keto—one free of plant toxins.
The Takeaway
Keto can be incredibly healing, but be cautious of potential pitfalls like oxalate toxicity and processed “keto” foods. Always question the science behind dietary recommendations, especially when profit motives are involved. For thousands of years, humans thrived on saturated fats—yet today they’re vilified. It’s time to rethink what’s truly healthy.
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